Dynamic Block... No Longer Dynamic!

Hi Everyone,

Hope I find you well.

I'm reasonably new to dynamic blocks, but I seem to be making good progress. However, I recently created a dynamic block of a door, which can flip, resize etc. The problems start when I try and insert the block into another drawing. It loses all of it's dynamic capabilities, it reverts back to a normal block!

It works fine in the original drawing, but no others!

Any suggestions would be most gratefully appreciated

Do you have the Explode-box ticked when you Insert the block?

Dynamic blocks are a relatively new capability of AutoCAD and therefore un-available in old releases. It is possible that your trouble-maker drawing was saved as an old version? This may be the reason that the block is recognized as standard instead of dynamic.

Regards,

Thanks for the quick response

No on both counts I'm afraid. I'm not exploding the block on insertion and the file is being saved as a 2010 file.

One other interesting point. If I copy the block from the original drawing, and then paste it into a new one, it works fine!

I know I'm confused

I know I'm confused

you and me both... I can't think about anything else other than somehow the block gets exploded...

one other "gotcha". Dynamic blocks loose their dynamism if x,y & z scales are not IDENTICAL and AutoCAD itself makes errors in Z scale of scaled blocks. Is it possible you have inserted it into an imperial|metric (delete as appropriate) drawing and allowed AutoCAD to scale it automatically so that it looks right? Even if the properties show it to be scaled at 1 in all three planes type that back in by hand.

I've left the scales for autoCAD to sort, so perhaps you could be right dbroada.

How do I enter them by hand? Forgive my ignorance

But wouldn't that mean that even AutoCAD's sample dynamic blocks wouldn't work? They work fine.

Select the block and in Properties will find Scale X, Scale Y and Scale Z fields.

Regards,

But wouldn't that mean that even AutoCAD's sample dynamic blocks wouldn't work? They work fine.

all I know is that my metric dynamic blocks stopped working when scaled by 0.03937007874015748031496062992126

I guess the supplied blocks are mostly imperial so a scale of 25.4 is easier for a computer to handle. The difference was only visible in about the 8th decimal place so it is a tiny error but enough to stop my blocks working.

If its not that then I'm sorry, I don't have any other ideas either. Can you post the problem block (although I can't look at 2010 created blocks)?

I have had this problem occasionally and I just re-inserted the block or re-opened the drawing and tried again. I don't know what causes it.

In block editor make "scale uniformly" to "yes" in properties panel, that makes block to lock "y" and "z" scales.

I would have thought AutoCAD would use the same algorithm to scale whether that box was ticked or not. I'll try when I get to work tomorrow.

There is no "thick" there is "yes" or "no"

you have the advantage over me, you have a screen to look at - I just guessed.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your help.

I've attached the offending drawing.

NEW_DYNAMIC_SINGLE_DOOR.dwg

Hello again.

I've cracked it! , Well... Kinda

If I right click on the original (working) dynamic block and then paste it into a tool palette it retains its dynamic properties and I can then add it from the tool palette to any drawing.

I'm still unable to insert it... but it's better than nothing!

If I take the drawing you uploaded and Insert it as a block directly, it is just a block, can't do anything with it.

If I explode the block once, it works like I assume you intended it, I can Flip it, turn it, make it bigger/smaller with the arrows.

I can also, if I open your drawing and use WBLOCK get the block Dynamic_door out to its own DWG and then, if I insert that block in a new drawing, it works fine.

So no idea what the problem is

lol - it's an interesting problem isn't it

The explode command works the same for me too... I'm even more confused now!

Wait wait. The problem from the start was not that the block exploded, it was that it was just a normal block? With one insertion-point and no Dynamic Capabilites? and if you explode that, it works like it should?

If that is the case, you have a block within a block, that is the problem. If you open the offending block and use the command WBLOCK, select just the block, nothing else and save it to another location. Then Insert that, does that work?

Nope... that didn't work.

But I agree it doeas look as though the dynamic block is nested inside of a standard block, but surely, it would be the same on the original drawing?